... the empire. And for all the company's attempts to discourage interloping, more and more free-lance adventurers kept flocking in from Europe, equipped with forged trading passes and a hunger for a quick killing. The threat that most unsettled the English, however, came from the French, who in the ... own private fiefdom. For decades, father and son were a constant menace to the British presence in the south, now and then setting fire to the country houses on the outskirts of Madras and leading their mercenary lootywallahs on one pillaging expedition after another. Not far away, ... quit...

• Word Count: 5127
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: Undergraduate